Suction cleaner



lviw17,1932v c. E. LuKE- 1,858,370

sUcTIoN CLEANER Original Filed Oct. 23. 1922 lin 1NVENToR.` Charles E. Lucke ATTORNEY.

Patented May 17, 1932 CHARLES E. LUCKE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

PATENT oFFlcE AssIGNoE 'ro THE EoovEE COMPANY, A

CDRPORATION F OHIO snc'rron CLEANER Original app1ication led. October 23, 1922, Serial No. 596,185. Divided and. this application filed September 16, 1927. Serial No. 219,859.

The invention relates to means for removing dust and dirt from floor coverings or the like by a rapidly moving current of air acting in combination with an agitator -which agitates and vibrates the floor coverlng to dislodge the dust and idirt embedded in it,

- the air current acting primarily as means to convey away the dirt and dust dislodged, although it would of itself remove the surface dirt or that lying in the pile of the carpet relatively close to the surface.

The invention disclosed in this application is a specific embodiment of the generic invention disclosed in my application Serial Number 596,185, filed Oct. 23, 1922.

An essential object of the invention is the combination of means whereby the object being cleaned is held suspended across lthe cleaner suction' opening by the pressure-'difference existing within and without the nozzle, with an agitator driven at al relatively high rate of speed and provided with elements so mounted and arrangedxas to deliver positive blows to the object being cleaned, in

vorder that such object may be positively agi- Avision of the combination of a suction cleaner having a suction mouth so arranged that the object to be cleaned will be raised and held suspended across the mouth by the suc- A tion, with an agitator comprising a series of agitating members lhaving fixed orbits of travel, which orbits intersect the.,surface assumed by the floor covering unde'r the action of the suction. Due to the inertia of the dirt and dust in the iloorvcovering, such dirt and dust will tend to remain stationary while the v covering is being agitated and thus the dirt,

and dust may be loosened from Vthe ioor covering whereupon the air current flowing through the suction cleaner may readily remove such dirt and -Vdust and convey it away into a suitable collecting receptacle.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a construction in which the surfacecontacting portion of the agitator is so constructed that the wear upon the fioor covering or other object being operated upon is a minimum, and yet one wherein the cleaning effectiveness of the machine will not be sacriiiced in favor of a low wear rate.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevatioinwith parts broken away showing the essential operating portions, of a-cleaner constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on line 2 2 ofl Fig. 1 disclosing the agitator in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a detailed View oi a modified form odthe agitating element shown in Fig. 4; an

Fig. 4 is a detailed tator element per se,

Throughout the specification like reference characters are used to indicate like parts.

I have incorporated my invention in a suction cleaner formed of a casting 10 to which is pivotally secured a' handle 11. In this illustration of the agicasting 10 is formed a fan chamber 12 having an outlet 13 adapted to receive a dust collecting bag (not shown), and an inlet opening 14 which connects with a suction chamber or nozzle 15 extending to the front of the. cast-ing, and which `is formed with a downwardly vided with lips y17, 17.

On the casting 10 is mounted an electric motor 18, the shaft 19 of which carries the fan 20 and the pulley 21", the latter positioned in the rear of the suction chamber. The rear of the casting is supported by means of the vertically adJustable wheel)r 22 and the front by means of rotatably mounted carrier wheels 23 positioned one at each lside of the casting and to the rear of the suction mouth in such a manner as not to prevent theobjectbeing cleaned from being raised freely to thefsuction mouth.

' Directly above the open mouth of the suction chamber adjustable rotor or agitatorV supports 24, 24 are mounted on the end walls 25, 25. These supports in turn carry a shaft facing suction mouth 16 pro- 26, upon which is rotatably mounted the hollow tube 27 forming the body of the rotor or agitator. This rotor body is provided intermediate its ends with a pulley 28 which is connected with pulley 21 on the motor shaft by means of the belt 29, which is given a 90- degree turn. i

In the embodiment of the invention as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, the rotor body is shown as provided with a helical row of projecting agitating elements eachl composed of a forked bracket 36 having arms 37-37, between which a surface-contacting roller 38 is rotatably mounted onv a pin 39 seated in the arms 37-37, the bracket 36 being mounted adlially with respect to the axis of the rotor Iiir Fig. 3 there is shown a modi-ied form of agitating element which :functions in the same manner as the agitating roller element 38 shown in Eig; 4, the difference being only in that the surface-contacting element' comprises a ball 45 rotatably mounted in the cupshaped portion 46 of the pin 47. The roller elements composedof a hard, smooth material, which will slide over the common types of floor covering with a minimum 'of friction and which will not rust or corrode or in any manner stain the floor covering acted upon.

The agitating elements or members 38 and 45 have a rolling contact with the floor covering being acted upon instead of a sliding friction such as would be the case were they vnon-rotatably mounted through being formed solid. and integral with their supports. Thus the friction between these elements and the floor covering is a minimum and the wear on the'covering is correspondingly low.

It is to be noted that the nozzle lips 17, 17 are maintained at a substantial distance above the floor covering in order that the floor covering may be raised against the nozzle lips and thus, as it may be termed, cushioned on air in orderthat the ioor covering may be positively agitated or vibrated through the action of the rotating agitating elements aforedescribed.

The agitating elements 38 and 45, being mounted in rigid frames, will consequently have fixed orbits of travel with respect to the axis of the body on which they are mounted and therefore, as the entire agitator includ ing the main body and the agitating elements rotates, the elements will forcibly cont'actthe carpet to positively agitate and vibrate it by driving it in a direction away from its raised position. The carpet will immediately be returned to its original position .through the action of the reduced pressure inthe suction chamber or nozzle, and the dirtand dust embedded in the floor covering which has been dislodged by the elements ewill be carried 0E by the air current fiowing l'into theoleaner nozzle.

38' and the balls 45 preferably are 1. In a suction cleaner having a downwardly facing suction mouth, a rotatable member mounted above the suction mouth, the rotatable member having mounted thereon and rotatable relatively thereto agitating elements having fixed orbits of travel, and means driving the rotatable member.

2. In a suction cleaner, the combination of a casing provided with a suction mouth and means for supporting said casing with the plane of the suction mouth a substantial distance above a surface covering to be cleaned,

and means for moving a current of air past `said covering and through said casing and thereby suspending it against the suction mouth, a rotatable member mounted in said casing and provided with agitating `elements having fixed orbits of travel, part of which extends below the plane of the suction mouth, the agitating elements being rotatably ilpounted with respect to the rotatable mem- 3. A11 agitator for suction cleaners comprising a revolubly mounted body, and agitating elements carried by said body which extend a fixed distance therefrom, said elements being vrotatably mounted relative to said body.

4. An agitator for suction cleaners comprising a revolubly mounted body, and agitating elements extending a xed distance from said body, said elements being veach mounted for rotation upon an axis parallel to the axial center line of said body.

5. An Yagitator for suction cleaners comprising a revolubly mounted body, and' rotatable surface-contacting means mounted on said body, the distance from the axis of ro- -said agitating element being rotatable relative to said body with each part thereof adapted to describe an arc of 360 degrees upon one side of the axis of said body.

7. An agitator for a suction cleaner comprising a body rotatably mounted, and an agitating element being carried by said bod and positioned beyond the periphery thereo said agitating element rotatably mounted upon an axis parallel to the major axis of said body and ,adapted to be rotated thereon by contact with the surface covering-when the agitator is in use.

8. An agitator for a suction cleaner comprising a body, and rotatably mounted agitating'elements carried by said body, said' agitating elements comprising rollers extending parallel to the body of said agitator.

9. An agitator for a suction cleaner comprising a body and a plurality of agitating elements mounted thereon, characterized by the fact that said agitating elements are p0- sitioned at fixed distances from said body upon supporting axles and make rolling contact with the surface covering undergoingbeaters carried by the rotor, the axes of the beaters being in fixed positions upon the rotor and located at a distance from the axis ofthe rotor and distributed along the rotor in different angular positions about the rotor axis, the elements being completely rotatable about their own axes.

12. In a motor driven vacuum cleaner, a driven rotor located at the suction opening of the cleaner, said rotor including a. plurality of spaced supporting members, and beating elements journaled in fixed positions between the members and rotatable independently of one another, the elements being completely rotatable about their own axes.

13. In a motor driven vacuum cleaner, a driven rotor located at the suction opening of the cleaner. and a plurality of separate heating elements carried by the rotor, the axes of the elements being fixed at a distance from the axis of the rotor and at angularly spaced locations thereon, the elements being rotatable completely about their own axes.

l-l. In a motor driven vacuum cleaner, a driven rotor located at the suction opening of the cleaner, and a'pluralit-y of rotatable beating elements` of less diameter than the rotor and located with their axes in a cylinder about the axis of the rotor, said elements" being rotatable completely about their own axes.

l5. An agitator for suction cleaners comprising rotatably mounted means, surfacecontacting means mounted for rotation about axes at a distance from the axis of said firstmentioned means and carried thereby, characterized by the fact that said surface-contacting means comprise a plurality of independently rotatable elements arranged in angularly vspaced relationship around said `firstznentioned means'.

16.- An agitator for suction cleaners coinprising a rotatably mounted body, a. plurality of independently rotatable rollers carried by said body, said rollers arranged in echelon formation around said body.

17. In an agitator for suction cleaners, aI rotatably mounted body, and a surtace-con-- I'as Y los 

